World Rugby Research

Player Welfare is World Rugby’s number one priority and in a Rugby World Cup year there is significant focus, speculation and assumption regarding rugby’s approach to injury prevention and management, particularly concussion.

There has been a great deal of attention and debate about concussions recently, much of it emotionally charged and often not backed by evidence. The fact is, concussion is the number one priority for player welfare in rugby today.

To assess the benefits, and some areas of concern, related to longterm physical and psychological health effects of playing elite rugby (ER), community rugby (CR), and noncontact sport (NC) (i.e. cricket and hockey).

World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby welcome the results of a wide-ranging independent study, researching the long-term physical and psychological health effects of playing elite rugby, community rugby and non-contact sports.